


Butterfly Liberation

by SilverSapphyre



Series: Shorty Series [3]
Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Cussing, F/M, Fluff, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, Nico is terrifying when she wants to be, Sass, bit of demonic influence, cuteness, mostly sfw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-18
Updated: 2019-10-18
Packaged: 2020-12-21 15:33:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21077228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverSapphyre/pseuds/SilverSapphyre
Summary: Nero can't wrap his mind around you not fearing or hating the Devil in him, so you continue to prove it to him.  He slowly opens up even more until you both free the warm, fluttery feelings within.READ THOSE TAGS!





	Butterfly Liberation

**Author's Note:**

> And here's number three! @but-two-days-old talked me into keeping the last line. :P I apparently make people die laughing when I'm deliriously sleepy. :D

Observing Nero was like watching a timid flower bloom. He didn’t really know what to do with your lack of fear and hatred toward the Devil blood in him, especially when you simply reinforced what you had said and never shied away from him. You weren’t wired to cower, even when a tinge of red crawled into the blue of his irises if his temper ran hot. He honestly seemed rather impressed that you were still willing to go face-to-chest with him, though he only pointed out that it wasn’t face-to-face _once_ and nursed a sore shin for fifteen minutes as the bruise healed.

You met up more often until it became normal to seek each other out. He teased you more, but it had no maliciousness in it whatsoever, so you only smiled in amusement, teased in return, and didn’t kick him. Sometimes, he would brush up against you or give a gentle tug on your sleeve to catch your attention. You took note of your own self reaching out simply to touch him to confirm he was there, and the little smile he gave when you did it warmed you from fluttering tummy to rapidly beating heart.

You knew what the wondrous butterflies inside you were, and you hoped all the cues that he was giving off meant he was feeling the same. You weren’t ready to work up the courage to throw it all on the table, though. Being sure of it mattered more to you since you could deal much easier with a little one-sided crush than you could losing such a precious person in your life.

_______

It wasn’t long before Nico was pulling you to the side to give _The Threat_. She didn’t get up in your face or make dangerous gestures and was really quite calmer than you expected, all of which made it all the more terrifying.

“I care a lot about that boy,” she said as she tuned up your gunblade, “He’s the brother I wish I had by blood. I’ll leave it to him to open up an’ tell ya the details, but his life hasn’t been easy.” She looked up and locked eyes with you, and you realized just how frightening Nico really was as she expertly flicked and twisted your weapon around. “He’s had _one_ meaningful relationship, and thankfully, it ended on good terms of a mutual fashion,” she continued conversationally, “and _you_ won’t have time to run, much less hide, if ya break his heart.”

You watched as she finished testing all the hinges and mechanisms then held the weapon out to you hilt-first. You gripped it but didn’t pull it away since she hadn’t let go yet. She was waiting for your response, and you sorely hoped you passed her test when you smiled and said, “Nero’s lucky to have a friend like you. He’s an absolute sweetheart, and I’d never intentionally hurt him.”

She snorted and released your weapon. “Other than bruising his shins?” The fact that she was bantering with you was promising.

“Only when he deserves it,” you assured with a wide grin before tempering your humor into a small smile as you holstered the gunblade. “I mean it, though,” you continued softly and lifted your hands to stare at your palms, “I doubt these hands are the best for him… I’m just a squishy human, so what can I do to protect him?” You closed your eyes and sighed softly before looking right at her again. “But I’ll do the best I can with what I have.”

Nico gave you a half-smile, but it made her eyes sparkle. “That’s all I’m askin’, hunny. Ya let him worry ‘bout the big bad demons. _You_ just take care’a that squishy marshmallow he calls a heart, okay?”

Your jaw dropped open before you covered your face and started giggling. “_Please_ tell me you haven’t called it that to his face?”

She tossed her head back with a scoff and answered, “Hell no! He’d whine like a bitch for _days_ if I did!”

Your giggles were turning a little breathless and uncontrolled, but you managed to choke out, “I wanna be there if ya ever do!”

_______

As weeks slowly continued to pass, Nero spent more and more time at your house with your fold-out couch receiving a lot of love from him. His feet still hung off the end, and there were many mornings that you would roll your eyes and pull the covers over said appendages while on your way to make coffee, but he could at least stretch out better than in the van. Mornings with him were odd in the beginning, though, to say the least. You seriously hadn’t expected him to be much of a morning person, and you had thought he would be a much lighter sleeper since he fought demons for a living.

“I sleep light in the van,” he answered when you asked him about it one morning. You knew he felt your home was _safe_, safer than the van, and that warmed your heart more than he would ever know. “And Nico calls me a morning terror at least four times each day.”

You hummed as you sipped on your coffee, smiling a little as you watched him lean against the counter and look out your kitchen window while slowly drinking his own. The thought suddenly hit you that you were growing accustomed to it. You realized your mornings were just dull and simply…_less_…when he wasn’t there and leaning against your counter in pajamas with his bare toes shuffling over your floor in an unconscious fidget. He already knew he was welcome anytime, but you wanted to emphasize that.

When he left that afternoon, you took his hand to slip a copy of your housekey into his palm. He opened his mouth to protest, but you closed his fingers over it and kissed the back of his hand, which brought the cutest blush yet to his cheeks and made him stammer. “You’re always welcome here, Nero,” you assured him for what felt like the hundredth time, and you’d assure him a hundred more if that was what it took. “This will _always_ be a safe place for you.”

“But, what if…” he trailed off and clenched his teeth, giving you the impression that he hadn’t meant to say anything. You decided to be a bit braver and kiss his hand again, looking up at him with lifted eyebrows to prompt him to continue. He pressed his lips together, breathing in deeply before letting it out through his mouth in an explosive sigh. “What if I…scare you, or-or hurt you…or-or we decide we’re better off as frie-” he gritted his teeth to interrupt himself before forcing out, “I can’t accept this.”

You wrapped one hand over his to keep his fingers closed over the key, reaching with the other to grip his coat in your fist. “I’m not afraid of you, Nero; _I never was_,” you declared vehemently while giving him a shake, “and you would _never_ hurt me on purpose…” His eyes slipped closed as some tension left him. “And we _are_ friends, okay? …Unless,” you pressed your own lips closed, feeling the heat in your cheeks when those pretty eyes opened again and focused intently on your own, and his free hand was so gentle when he brushed your cheek to cup it. The soft touch gave you the courage to keep talking, “Unless…_you_…want-”

A horn blew from outside, making you both jump and curse.

“Fuckin’ dammit, Nico,” Nero hissed, wincing when the horn blew a few more times. You would’ve echoed the sentiment, but you were glad for it since you were about to bite the bullet and give him some inkling of your feelings. You had no more time to think on it since he took his hand from yours and held the key up. It wasn’t so much his mumble of, “I’ll hang onto this for now,” as it was his little smile that melted your heart even more.

“_Anytime_,” you emphasized loudly as he took off out the door, rolling your eyes when he waved over his shoulder.

_______

Over the next couple of weeks, you noticed kits for a gun and sword and a toiletry bag being left at your home. You rolled your eyes upon noticing the cheap bar of soap he used, immediately tossing it out and making him go to the store with you to get a bottle of bodywash that wouldn’t strip his skin raw. It wasn’t long before you went behind him and resupplied his razors then used a measuring tape to get pajama pants that fit him. You also took your coffee table and made a pillowtop for it that fit along the bottom of the fold-out bed, and the surprise that became a soft smile when he realized it was to keep his feet from hanging off the end was so precious.

If he was going to be staying at your home more often, you wanted him as comfortable as possible. He fought you every step of the way, and while there were some things a person _did_ need that he just seemed to forget to replace, you teased him as well. You were overly obvious about eyeballing futons, and he huffed a sigh while rolling his eyes. With a quick toss of your body over his shoulder, he walked out of the store, though you stopped making a show of fighting him once you were out in the parking lot. The silly interaction left you giggling and him amusedly exasperated.

He huffed a soft sigh. “You don’t have to do all this for me,” he said quietly, turning his head to make sure you heard him. “I’m happy, okay? You don’t have to-” he interrupted himself by pressing his lips together, and you wriggled around in his hold.

You angled yourself enough to slide down him, wrapping your legs around him and holding onto his shoulders to look him directly in the eyes. His arms around your waist were so warm, but you nudged that thought aside for later. You kept your voice soft but still firm as you said, “I’m not _buying_ your affection, if that’s what you’re thinking.” His cheeks pinked a little, and you rolled your eyes at him. “Nero, that soap could strip the hide off an elk, which I made you replace but _you_ bought, but you _needed_ new razors, and _everyone_ deserves a good bed to sleep on-”

“-Anything’s better than the couch in the van-” he tried to cut you off.

“-_and_,” you glared at him, “it’s obvious you don’t care about yourself enough, so _I’ll_ do it for you!”

Nero stared at you for a few moments, feeling rather bewildered at having _that_ said to him. He didn’t care enough for himself, and he knew it, but before you, only one person was able to break through to him about it, though Kyrie was much gentler and less blunt. He processed your verbal lashing before a slow smirk crawled across his face. “You want my affection, huh?” he teased, and you quickly recalled your words before blistering heat attacked your face. He readjusted his hands to cup your bottom as he touched his nose to yours and murmured, “All you had to do was ask,” with lidded eyes staring directly into yours.

You ignored the flush on your face, rubbing your nose against his. “You’re right,” you agreed, a cheeky grin coming over your face as you added, “You’re too tall for me to _take_ what I want.”

He huffed a quiet laugh. “You’re not too short for me-”

Screeching tires and an abrupt, off-white van nearly taking you both out sent Nero stumbling and you flailing, his spectral arms being the only thing saving you from a concussion. You didn’t even care about your close call with cranial injury as you belted out, “_Fucking dammit, Nico!_”

She hung her head out the window and yelled back, “What the hell did I- Oh.” An evil smirk curved her lips, and you swore for a moment that she had horns. “Aww… Did I interrupt somethin’? You two're sittin’ in a tree-”

“_Fuck you, Nico!_” you both yelled, faces burning a brighter red than the cherry on her cigarette as she sucked in a breath and _cackled_.

_______

You were beyond annoyed because you had a job when Nero was free while he had a job when you were free, and those jobs weren’t crossing paths. It had been a few days since he had stayed at your house. Your mornings were out of whack without his bare-toe fidgeting, and you were unconsciously making enough dinner for two plus leftovers for lunch that he wasn’t there to help eat. 

You wanted to be surprised at how much his presence in your life meant to you. Instead, you were left with a sad heart each time Nero didn’t show up, and you soon found yourself curling up in the fold-out bed because your house was starting to smell less like him. You hoped the pillow and bedcovers held onto his scent for at least a little longer.

On the third night of sleeping on said bed, a storm was raging. It was always a tossup of whether you slept well or badly as the rain pounded on your roof, but that night was rougher than normal due to your heater sputtering out. Your fitful, shivering sleep wasn’t helped when your front door abruptly banged open.

“_Shit,_ couldn’t the rain wait fifteen minutes?!” You were off the bed and tackling Nero’s soaking wet body against the door just as he turned around from closing it. “Hey, there…” he greeted softly, “Guess you missed me, huh?”

You inhaled a shuddering breath and huffed out, “Jerk,” while sliding your fingers up his arms. You wanted to touch his skin so badly since you’d missed him so much, and it also helped that he seemed to be able to ignore temperatures and was always so _warm_ beneath your fingers.

He hissed a little and shivered at your cold touch, though. “Geez, you’re freezing,” he muttered, pushing you back a little to be able to look at your face from beneath his dripping hood. His cheeks flushed a little before he finally mumbled, “Missed you, too.” You ducked a little to loosen his grip, pressing close and burying your face against his soaked sweater as your eyes started burning. “Hey, shh, don’t-”

You interrupted him with a forceful whisper of, “I’m not crying!”

He snorted and teased, “Liar. I can smell the salt.”

You stilled before leaning back and glaring at him with teary eyes, though you were fighting a smile as you blurted, “You have enhanced senses, _too_? Cheatin’ asshole.”

A snicker escaped him as he grinned. “Just usin’ what I was born with,” he retorted before asking, “Why are you so cold anyway?”

You heaved a soft sigh and muttered, “My heater, um…broke again…” before continuing louder, “Not the first time, though. I can fix it in the morning.” You plucked at his sopping sweater. “Anyway, these soaked clothes aren’t going to dry themselves. C’mon.”

He put up a small protest as you tugged him to the bathroom, but it wasn’t much of one, and you figured he was probably more exhausted than he looked. You changed your clothes for a dry set then traded his pajamas for his dripping outfit after you heard him enter the shower. Extreme care was taken with the old sweater when you put it in the dryer, hanging his coat by the door to dry. With that taken care of, you decided a treat for both of you was in order and made your way to the kitchen with all intentions of spoiling the man.

Nero wasn’t obvious about it, but you knew he absolutely _loved_ chocolate. You made a couple mugs of instant hot cocoa, and the excited, little grin on his face when you handed his cup to him, tiny marshmallows and all, was one you would forever hold close to your heart. You sat on the fold-out bed together and talked about what went on during your days spent apart. He kept trying to catch the tiny bits of sugar in his cocoa with his tongue, almost making you choke on your drink or spill it on your shirt more than once as you giggled at him.

It was very late when you put the empty mugs in the sink, stepping back into the living room to wish Nero a good night while on your way to your bedroom. An ethereal claw wrapped gently around you and pulled you back to him. “Nero- What-? Why-?” you spluttered, going very still when you found yourself in his lap with his spectral arm wrapped around you to hold you against him. “_Nero-!_” you squeaked, trying your hardest not to melt into the heat soaking all the way into your bones.

He nuzzled into your hair and took a deep breath before whispering, “Please stay…” He slipped his flesh arms around you and held you a little tighter. “Let me keep you warm,” he offered in a voice just as soft and, when you didn’t relax, added in a quiet, strained tone, “…if just for tonight… _Please_.”

“Nero…”

He sucked in a sharp breath and tried to quickly force out, “This bed was the _only_ thing that _didn’t_,” his throat closed on the words in fear of your reaction before he softly finished, “…smell like you… Now, it does…and I…” He breathed through his nose, slowly and deeply this time, and you wondered if he was scenting you. After a moment, he confessed in a whisper, “You always smell _so good_… It kinda drives me _crazy_, but I _like_ it.”

Deciding he shouldn’t be the only one baring his soul that night, you leaned back against him and ducked your head to bury your face against his neck. “Nero…you can keep me warm _every_ night…”

You figured it took both him and you being deliriously tired to finally toss aside stubbornness, insecurity, and fear. You shelved the thought for later when he flopped back against the bed with you. A spectral claw reached down to tug the covers over both of you, but it was both his happy, little laugh and the nuzzles in your hair that finally relaxed you into accepting all of his warmth.

_______

You woke up slowly, feeling rather disoriented and wondering why you had pulled out your thickest, heaviest comforter. The thought that it didn’t weigh _that_ much, though, is what stirred up the memory of the night before of your and Nero’s heart-to-heart after lovely mugs of hot cocoa. You blinked your eyes open, hissing a little at the light that shone brightly through the water-speckled window. The slight irritation was all but forgotten when you looked down to find a head of the craziest bed-hair you’d ever seen, and you wondered if Nero had nuzzled you more than once while you both slept.

He was draped over you like a living blanket, his head resting on your chest just beneath your collarbone. One arm was wrapped securely around you, and his legs were tangled with yours, though he had shifted in his sleep so that your feet were kept warm. As sweet as all of it was, though, none of it compared to the sight of his relaxed face. You hadn’t realized just how tense he always was until seeing him now, and you couldn’t help raising your loose arm to slowly, carefully card your fingers through his hair and trace across his face. You weren’t intending to wake him, and he only shifted a little and angled his head for you to reach more easily.

The quiet rumble that you felt all the way through his chest that was pressed against your side and abdomen surprised you, and though it was more of a growly noise, you couldn’t help thinking of it as anything but a purr. A quiet giggle escaped you at the unexpected treasure you stumbled upon. You hadn’t ever heard him do it before, but you supposed he’d never been comfortable or content enough, and that spoke more to you than him pushing everything aside to bear his heart and soul to you with words the previous night. The nudging of his head against your fingers brought you back from your thoughts.

“Why’d ya stop?” he groggily mumbled, and you were a little worried about continuing since you didn’t know if _he_ knew he purred. You didn’t want him to ever feel embarrassed by it. When you didn’t continue your ministrations, he groaned quietly and did a weird, partial stretch that didn’t move him too far from you before settling back in almost the exact same position. “Wha’ time’s it?” he wondered, glancing out the window at the bright sunshine.

You settled your own nerves, wrapping your other arm around him and burying your fingers back in his hair. “Time for cuddles,” you replied, your voice raspy with lack of moisture and use after sleeping.

He grinned drowsily, raising up just slightly and pressing a quick, chaste kiss to your lips then settling back where he had been.

You were completely frozen with eyes wide and fingers stiff, trying to regain proper lung function without alerting him. He nudged your hand again, and you let out your trapped breath with a slow, shaky sigh while brushing your fingers through his hair until the motion became natural again. You didn’t know if he would remember it or not, but you’d never forget the brief touch of soft, warm skin.

Neither of you brought it up over coffee later, but he did blush a few times when your eyes locked, and learning his tells was something you had become a bit of an expert at, so you gently called him out, “Hey. Are you going to let that be our first kiss?” 

He choked on his coffee, hurriedly pinched his nose, and tilted his head back. A cheeky grin was on your face when he looked back at you after barely avoiding shooting a stream of the liquid out his nose. “What the hell- You couldn’t wait until I swallowed?!” he griped, giving you a dry glare that was completely ruined by the light blush and little grin on his face.

You huffed and stood from your chair, stepping over to his favorite spot against the counter as he pushed off from it. “Don’t look at me like that, ya handsome asshole,” you muttered, raising your hand to crook a finger at him as you added, “Bend the fuck down here or be prepared ‘cause I _will_ jump for it.”

He smirked down at you with lidded eyes as he sat his coffee aside and teased, “Then jump, teeny. I’ll catch you.” He wasn’t expecting you to _pounce_ on him, but he still caught you with warm, large hands cupping your butt and giving a gentle squeeze, earning a pleased hum at the action as you wrapped your arms and legs around him. Anything else was muffled by his lips since he didn’t waste another second. 

His mouth tasted like the milky coffee that he hadn’t finished yet, and you sucked on his bottom lip for more of the flavor of it and him, using a gentle scrape of teeth as you let go to make him groan. He put his strength to use by holding you up with one hand effortlessly. The other brushed up your back to tease over your neck then buried in your hair, and he used the leverage to bring you back to him. Even though the little tug on your hair made you gasp, he didn’t immediately take the invitation. Instead, he teased you with open-mouthed kisses until you _growled_ and shoved up against him, sealing your lips together and licking into his mouth hungrily.

He drew back for a quick breath, and you slipped your arms downward from around his neck so that you could cup his face in your hands. “You taste…so good…” you panted before diving back in for more of him. He parted his lips for you, a tiny whine escaping him when you flicked your tongue against his then fluttered across the roof of his mouth to try to get him to play with you. You drew back and pressed your forehead to his, breathing each other’s air in soft gasps. “_Stop it_,” you huffed, feeling his brow furrow in his confusion, and continued with a gentle, but still scolding, tone, “Stop being so _meek_… You’re not gonna hurt me…!”

He pressed his lips together before exhaling harshly through his nose. “Okay… Just…pinch me if I _do_, alright?”

“I’ll pinch you if you _don’t-_” you retorted, but he interrupted you by catching your lips in a _fierce_ kiss as his hand cupped the back of your neck. His fingertips brushed against the shell of your ear and made you choke out a soft noise. He took full advantage of the opening that time, coaxing you into a _dance_ with his lips and tongue until you could barely breathe, but you didn’t let him go now that you had him. Giving a little, experimental suck on the appendage pulled a whimpering moan out of his throat before he broke the kiss. “_Oh_…” you spoke in a low tone between gasps, “You like…having things…_sucked on_, do you?”

He touched his lips to yours, not for a kiss but just to _feel_ them, and breathed, “_Fuck…yes…_” His tongue flicked out to lick at your mouth, though you noted it was a little longer before realizing the cautious, slightly nervous look he was giving you. You let your eyelids droop and opened your mouth to that Devilish tongue. You had a feeling that was why he was so hesitant, but now he definitely knew you were up for _anything_ he was willing to give you, and his tongue mapping all the sensitive spots within your mouth while his lips barely brushed yours had you _squirming_ with want. He drew back too soon for your liking, clenching his eyes shut and muttering, “Shit… _Shit_,” between deep breaths.

You were already missing the feeling of that slick, flexible muscle, but you pushed the intoxicating desire aside to nudge his forehead with yours, though he didn’t look at you. “Hey,” you whispered to get his attention, and when he focused on you, those pretty eyes were tinging red. “Hey…what’s the matter? I liked it.”

“You…” He pressed his lips together before a little grin ruined the pensive expression. “You’re one of a kind, aren’t ya?” he asked softly, gently stroking the side of your neck with his fingertips.

You knew he was looking for acceptance more than anything right then, so you leaned forward to touch your lips to his as he had done. “This treasure is all yours,” you assured him with a soft smile that turned into a wicked little smirk when you added, “Maybe you should _plunder_ it…_Nero…_” His name was a soft moan from the bottom of your throat before you brushed your tongue over the supple skin of his lips just to see his eyes dilate.

Nero asked you out for a proper date once he had finished tickling your gag reflex.

**Author's Note:**

> Also on tumblr: @SilverSapphyre


End file.
